Promised Victory
by Canis Lupus 54
Summary: Eren and Armin find a book about magic and put it to good use.


AN: This is probably a one-shot.

 **One Week Before the Fall of Zhiganshina**

"Eren!" Armin exclaimed, running up to his friend with a book clutched in his hands. "I found another book in my grandfather's collection!"

Eren turned and smiled eagerly at Armin. Mikasa gazed neutrally at Armin.

"Is it about the outside world?" Eren asked.

Armin stopped in front of Eren and bent over with his hands on his knees, panting to catch his breath. "Sort of. It's about something called 'magic' that they used to use before the Titans came."

That hardly sounded as exciting as water like fire or mountains of ice, but Eren was still happy to learn more about life outside the walls.

"What's magic?" he asked.

"You do some rituals and all sorts of things can happen! I want to try it!"

It still sounded a little boring, but Eren didn't want to crush Armin's enthusiasm. "Sure."

"Okay, we need some space for this one."

"Let's head out of town, then," Mikasa suggested evenly.

…

Eren, Mikasa, and Armin stood around the circle they had drawn. Armin's eyes shone and a smile was planted firmly on his face as the three worked. Eren was still skeptical, but Armin's enthusiasm was rubbing off and he found himself smiling along. Mikasa was neutral. Suddenly, Armin's smile dropped.

"I'm scared," he admitted. "Some of the things in here make huge fires or explosions. What if we messed up? I don't want to read the incantation."

"With that kind of thing we could fight them off no problem!" Eren said. "I'll read it."

Armin handed Eren the book. Eren scanned the page for where the incantation started and read it aloud.

" Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.  
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.  
Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill).  
Repeat every five times.  
Simply, shatter once filled.  
――――I announce.  
Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword.  
In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.  
Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.  
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――!"

As Eren spoke, the circle began to glow with a bright white light and a sort of wind blew out from the center. When he finished, a blinding flash of the same light emanated from the center of the circle.

When the three could see again, a young woman stood in the center of the circle. She wore a blue and white dress, covered with plate armor, along with gauntlets. Her brilliant blonde hair was short and tied at the back of her head, her eyes a bright green. She was looking right at Eren.

"I ask of you: Are you my Master?" she asked. Despite the subordinate nature of the question, her voice was powerful and commanding.

"H-huh?" Eren stammered out. "Master?"

"Did you summon me?"

"I guess so. I read from this book and then you showed up."

The woman nodded. "Then you are indeed the one who summoned me and my Master. The contract is complete."

"Okay…"

Eren's cried out in pain as his hand burned. He looked at it to see three red markings appearing on the back of his hand.

Mikasa stepped between Eren and the woman. "Eren, stand back. Who are you?"

The woman regarded Mikasa coolly for a moment before replying. "You may call me Saber. I am Eren's Servant. You seem to be ignorant of the ritual you just performed. Would you like me to explain?"

"Yes, please!" Armin exclaimed.

Saber seemed surprised by the boy's sudden outburst, but complied. "I am a Servant, a powerful spirit of a hero from an age past. The ritual you performed summoned me to serve and aid you in battle. Normally this would be part of a larger ritual known as the Holy Grail War, but I can't ascertain that for some reason."

"What kind of name is Saber?" Eren asked. "And what's your last name? What are these things on my hand?"

"Saber is my class name, it indicates that I specialize in sword combat. It is used to protect my identity. Those markings are your Command Seals. They each grant you one the ability to give one order I cannot disobey. I advise against using them carelessly. Once the last one is used, our contract is finished and I will disappear."

"That's so cool! So, how powerful are you? And where's your sword?"

Saber sighed. "I am far stronger than an ordinary human. My sword is invisible. That is one of my Noble Phantasms." Seeing the question on Eren's lips, Saber continued. "Noble Phantasms are magical weapons or abilities."

Eren hummed in thought. He wanted a demonstration of his Servant's power. He pointed to a nearby tree. "Cut that down."

Saber gave a slightly amused smile, then nodded. "Yes, Master."

Saber walked over to the tree and held her hands out in front of her, as if grasping a sword. She slashed her invisible blade horizontally. The weapon tore through the trunk with ease. A good portion of the trunk that hadn't been struck splintered from the force of the impact, and a blast of air pressure from the strike shook the grass and blew against the trio. Saber turned back to the three.

"Was that satisfactory?"

Eren nodded dumbly.

"We should get back home," Mikasa said calmly.

"It is getting late," Armin said, looking at the setting sun.

"One more thing, Master," Saber said. "Normally, I am equipped with basic knowledge about the time period in which I am summoned, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Could you teach me about this world?"

"Of course!" Eren said. "But first I need to explain this to my parents…"

…

"And that's what happened," Eren said.

"You expect us to believe that crazy story?" Mother asked flatly.

"It's what happened!"

"It's true," said Mikasa.

"I think they're telling the truth," Father said. "No one would tell such an outlandish story as a lie."

Mom sighed. "Fine. Saber can stay here."

"Yes!" Eren exclaimed.

 **The Day of the Fall**

Saber watched as Eren slept. She was tempted to wake him and remind him that he was supposed to be gathering firewood, but decided against it. She was his Servant, not his mother. The fact that he was sweating and shaking in his sleep, on the other hand, seemed like a good reason to wake him.

"Master," she said, leaning over and shaking him slightly.

Eren's eyes flew wide open and he jolted into a sitting position.

"Saber?" he asked. "What am I doing way out here?"

Saber tilted her head. "Are you okay? You seem disoriented."

"I just feel like I had a really long dream."

Mikasa walked up. "Eren, are you crying?" she asked.

Eren wiped at the tears streaming down his face. The three gathered the firewood and started walking back to town.

"Don't tell anyone I was crying, okay?" Eren asked Mikasa.

"I won't, but if you're crying for no reason, maybe you should have your dad check you out," Mikasa replied.

"No way, I can't tell Dad about this!"

"Hey, what are you crying about, Eren?" Hannes asked from the gate. "Did Mikasa get mad at you for something?"

"No way, why would I cry about that? You smell like alcohol!"

The other Garrison members sitting nearby laughed as one poured himself another cup.

"You're all drinking again?"

"Why don't you join us?" Hannes offered.

"No, but, don't you have work?" Eren asked.

"Yeah, we're guarding the gate! We're here all day, so eventually we get hungry and thirsty. And the fact that some of what we drink might be alcohol… Well, that isn't too big of a problem."

Eren scowled. "Can you fight like that if you have to?"

"If we have to? When would we—"

"If they breach the wall and enter the city, when else?"

"Hey, Eren, don't yell like that…"

One of Hannes squad members stood and walked over to the four.

"The doctor's son sure is lively today, huh? If they breach the walls, we'll do our jobs," he said. "But that hasn't happened for a hundred years."

"But my dad says you're in the most danger when you let your guard down!" Eren insisted.

"Doctor Yeager is right," said Saber. "It is precisely because of your complacency that the Titans are more likely to breach the wall. If that happens, you are in no shape to protect the people of this city. Let's go, Master. You won't get through to these people."

"Yeah!"

Eren and Mikasa followed Saber towards home until the bells at the outer gate rang, indicating the return of the Survey Corps. Eren looked towards the gate excitedly and started toward it.

"The heroes are back. Let's go see!" Eren shouted.

He ran off to the gate, dragging Mikasa with him and forcing Saber to follow. Saber could tell the sight wasn't what Eren had hoped for. The Survey Corps were battered and few in number. When a mother asked about her son? The commander broke down in despair. After that, the three left.

"Eren, do you still want to join the Survey Corps?" Mikasa asked as they walked home. Eren was silent in reply.

The three reached the house, where Mikasa revealed Eren's ambitions to the family. Carla was angry, while Grisha seemed fine with it and promised to show Eren whatever was in the mysterious basement when he returned from a trip. Carla insisted that she wouldn't allow it, prompting Eren to run off. Saber followed him, then Mikasa.

They came upon some bullies beating up Armin.

"Hey, it's Eren!" one said.

"He's back for more."

"Wait, Saber and Mikasa are with him!"

"Run!"

The thugs ran off.

"They ran when they saw me!" Eren said proudly.

"No, they ran when they saw Saber and Mikasa," Armin corrected.

The four went by the river and talked for some time, before a massive explosion from beyond the wall threw Eren, Mikasa, and Armin off their seats.

"What was that?" Armin asked.

A crowd was gathering in the streets, gazing up at the top of the wall. The four ran to see what was there. It was a massive, skinless hand, clutching at the top of the wall.

"That's impossible!" Armin exclaimed. "That wall is fifty meters high!"

"It's one of them," Eren said. "A Titan!"

A head peeked over the wall along with the arm, then a matching foot crashed through the outer gate, causing a massive blast of debris and air pressure. After that, the giant disappeared, like it had never been there, and smaller Titans started pouring in through the hole in the wall. The crowd started running madly away, except Eren and Mikasa.

"My house is over there!" Eren shouted, running off.

Mikasa and Saber followed him, finding the house, and Carla's lower body, crushed under a massive rock. Eren and Mikasa struggled in vain to lift it.

"Saber, help!" Eren shouted.

"Yes, Master."

Saber summoned Excalibur, cloaked in Invisible Air, and struck the rock in two, then lifted the remains. But Carla's legs were crushed. She couldn't run. A smiling Titan rounded a corner and started towards Carla. Then, Hannes showed up.

"Hannes, take the children and go!" Carla commanded

"Don't worry you four, I'll defeat the Titan!" Hannes said.

He started towards the Titan, then turned back in terror and grabbed the children. Saber went to grab Carla, but the mother shook her head.

"I'll only slow you down. Take care of my kids," she said.

"You won't slow me down."

Saber scooped up Carla and ran after Hannes and the kids. Carla, the kids, and Saber were put on an evacuation boat.

Suddenly, an armored Titan showed up near the closing inner gate and assumed a runner's stance.

"Saber, stop it!" Eren shouted.

"We're too far, I'll never make it in time!" Saber replied.

"I don't care, just go!" Eren's hand glowed bright red.

Saber nodded. "Yes, Master!"

Saber launched off the boat with more power than she could ever have mustered without that Command Seal, and landed in front of the Titan. She slashed at it, releasing Invisible Air as she did so. The Titan slid backwards and its armor cracked, but it merely reassumed its stance.

"The nape of the neck!" a soldier shouted from behind Saber. "You have to hit that to kill it!"

Saber nodded. Her strikes alone couldn't penetrate its armor. She would hav to annihilate it in one blast. She raised her golden glowing sword over her head.

The Titan started forward, closing the distance at an incredible rate.

"Excalibur!" Saber shouted, slashing her sword downwards. A beam of golden light shot forth and shrouded the Titan and several others nearby in its brightness. When the attack cleared, the Titans were gone. The soldiers behind cheered. Her task done, Saber could return to Eren. But she had to try to save the remaining inhabitants. Titans were still entering the city, but if she could clear out most of them, the rest of the townspeople had a chance to escape. "Don't close the gate! I will hold Zhiganshina!"

Saber charged forward towards the remaining Titans.

On that day, humanity remembered the feeling of despair, and of hope, and started its counterattack with a shining sword.


End file.
